HACKREFLECTION
by Azure Thorn
Summary: This is The World R:1, but essences of all of the dot hack games and series exist here. This is the story of a post-Morganna error that has been born into the system only to wreak havoc and bring forth destruction.
1. Chapter 1

1**.hack//REFLECTION**

Azure Thorn

**ERROR ONE**

I open my eyes. I cannot see. I reach my arms forward, feeling through the darkness. I become aware that I have a body. I have arms. Legs. Hips. Torso. I have a head. I have a mouth. A nose. Ears. Eyes. But these eyes cannot see.

I continue to feel my way through the darkness. My legs move, and my body travels through the darkness. There is warmth. Though I cannot see, I feel safe. But I am apprehensive. This is not eternity. Beyond this darkness danger exists.

As I think this, I suddenly pass from the darkness.

I reappear in ) Mac Anu.

**ERROR TWO**

Adept Rogue. Multi-Weapon. That is what I am. I appear to be human. I do not know. I do not care. I am free from the darkness. I see everything. So many colors and lights. And humans.

Humans are everywhere. They stroll blithely around the town, talking, interacting, shopping. These are humans. And I appear as one of them. But I do not know what I am. I turn around and face the Chaos Gate. This is a program that allows me to travel between different areas of this world.

As I study the device, a envelope appears above my head. I reach up and touch it. It disappears, and a message appears before me. I can read the letters and words, though I do not know how:

"Player BLUEROSE,

Welcome to The World,R:1! Your registration is

completed and everything is ready for you to begin

your journey! A number of tutorials can be found on

the BBS in the Start Menu. Have fun!

CC Corporation is not responsible for online

interactions."

The words bear no meaning to me. I have not registered. There is no Start Menu. I simply exist within this World.

**ERROR THREE**

"HEAL HEAL HEAL!"

"DAMN! Moro is down! Who has a resurrect?!"

The prone body of the Heavy Blade suddenly burst into light as he was pulled from the eternal sleep of death.

"I told you we should have done a lower level first!"

"Do you all have Speed Charms?"

"We'll have to run from this one!!!" one of the larger Heavy Axemen shouted as he lifted a Speed Charm over his head.

"COWARDS!"

A black form shot past the Axemen towards the monster. In one swing, the monster hit the ground and faded into nonexistence.

"You guys are pathetic. Seven on one and you're too panicked to even focus on strategy."

Before the silent party stood a truly intimidating figure. Haseo was not known as the Terror of Death for nothing. His character data was one of the world's many mysteries. He was a Multi-Weapon Adept Rogue. His body was completely covered in black, spiked armor. His red eyes almost glowed as he gazed defiantly upon group.

"If you're going to bother going to the trouble of asking me for help and putting together multiple parties, you might as well make sure you go to the proper field. But if you're going to go up against monsters of this level, as least fight until you're all dead. I hate cowards who run."

One Wavemaster raised his hand.

"What is it?"

"Well... Um... We thought you'd kill the monsters for us and we'd get the experience..."

This time Haseo's eyes did glow, as he glared at the now terrified Wavemaster.

"In other words you want to be as strong as I am without putting in any work."

The Wavemaster hung his head. Haseo did not relent.

"_I _spent months upon months playing alone working nonstop to get to the point I'm at! What makes you think I'd help you take the easy way out?! I'll help you, but I'm not going to let you NEWBS sit back and relax while I waste my time!"

The recently resurrected Heavy Blade seemed about to protest when he was suddenly stopped by a ringing sound that echoed throughout the field. Haseo sighed deeply and looked around, scanning the field.

"Okay, that's enough for today. Everyone return to the town. Next time I help you guys I expect better performance than this."

The parties hurriedly gated out of the field, leaving Haseo alone. A small ball of blue light slowly floated down from the sky and stopped at eye-level, a few feet from Haseo.

"What do YOU want?" Haseo growled at the ball irritably.

The ball exploded into a large blue fire. As the flames slowly died away, a figure stepped out and walked towards Haseo.


	2. Chapter 2

1ERROR 4

"Y06'5= 3=1n6 56D=" the figured muttered. It glared at Haseo menacingly and crossed its arms.

"Zelkova gave you that damn program for a reason. Use it or don't bother trying to communicate," Haseo had preferred it when Azure Kite didn't speak.

The figure who stood before Haseo was an AI known as Azure Kite. His appearance was that of a corrupted copy of the Hero, though in terms of powers and personality there were many differences. The AI had assisted Haseo in defeating Cubia a few years ago, and had kept a close eye on Haseo's activities since.

"Sorry. Why are you bothering trying to teach all of these newbies anyway?" the entity spoke this time, in a low, raspy voice that seemed to echo throughout the field

Haseo turned away from the AI and walked towards the Town Port.

"Don't ignore me!" the AI floated over the ground, catching up quickly with Haseo.

"Why don't you leave me alone??" Haseo growled again. The Azure Knights had been pestering him for the past few weeks with minor virus busts and system glitches.

"Can't you get the original Kite to handle these things? His Data Drain is much more convenient."

"I've explained b=F05=, Kite is too 36$y to do deal with these jobs. However, I'm not here to give you an assignment this time. I need your assistance with n important matter."

Haseo stopped and turned toward's Azure Kite.

"Are you okay? The translator is glitching up."

Azure Kite landed softly on the ground and pointed towards the Town Port.

"I'll explain everything when we get to the Cathedral."

ERROR 5

As I wander through the town, noone seems to really notice me. I am like them. At least on the outside. But I can tell they are different. They all think differently. What am I then?

As I observe the individuals who pass me, I become aware that I can see the data of which their bodies are constructed. I understand. I reach out to one of the players, a Wavemaster. I can see everything.

ELK

WAVEMASTER

LEVEL 87

CHARACTER DATA: UNCORRUPTED

I edit his character data. I remove the player's control of the character. I take his statistics and form them into mine. My data updates itself as I feed upon his.

BlueRose

MULTI-WEAPON ADEPT ROGUE

LEVEL 87

CHARACTER DATA: PERFECTION


	3. Chapter 3

1CHAPTER 3

ERROR 6

"Why are we at Hulle Granz?" Haseo muttered to himself as he pushed the doors of the cathedral open and stepped in. Upon entering the building, he froze.

"What the hell is that?!" he shouted at Azure Kite while pointing at the strange anomaly in the center of the cathedral. It appeared to be a door. The door was of a normal size and white in color. Wrapped around it were large black chains binding the door shut. A large lock attached to the chains was located at the center of the door. The familiarity of the lock quickly caught Haseo's attention.

"Wait... isn't that..."

"The same lock used for the seal on Ovan's infected arm. I had it recreated for the purpose of sealing this door," Azure Kite strode up the door and tapped on the lock lightly.

"And what does this door lead to that you have to keep it sealed? Why is there a door in Hulle Granz anyway?!"

"I said I'd explain," growled Azure Kite, "so shut up and let me talk."

Haseo grimaced. Whatever this anomaly meant, it would be bad news for him. He was sure of it.

"It leads to Fragment," Azure Kite became silent for a few moments, as if he expected Haseo to speak. He grinned his eerie shark-toothed grin when Haseo kept his mouth shut.

"Fragment was the original prototype to The World before R:1 was released. It's said that many secrets to The World and the Epitaph were lost when the prototype was shut down."

This time Haseo interrupted.

"If it was shut down, how does that door lead to it?"

"Aura was able to locate the hidden data remnants and recreate Fragment itself. This is a chance for us to find out why Morganna developed in the way she did. We might also be able to find out why Skeith's soul chose you," Azure Kite grinned again.

Haseo seemed lost in thought. A few moments passed in silence.

"Would you like to find out?"the AI stared as Haseo.

Haseo suddenly reached forward and grabbed the lock. Skeith's powers pulsed through his body, rippling through the corrupted data of Haseo's character. He concentrated all of these powers into his shoulder, down his arm, and into his palm. The lock exploded and the chains faded away.

"Lets get this over with," Haseo groaned.

As the door began to slowly open inward, a loud sound rang through the cathedral. Haseo and Azure Kite turned toward the entrance. The doors to the cathedral had exploded off of their hinges. In the doorway stood a white Adept Rogue. In each hand he held large smoking chainswords. His golden hair glowed brightly in the light of the outside sun.

Azure Kite took a step back and cursed silently.

"BlueRose..." he whispered.

The Adept Rogue spoke in a loud clear voice that echoed throughout the cathedral.

"Step away from that Door or I will kill you."


	4. Chapter 4

1Chapter 4

ERROR 7

"What the hell is this guy supposed to be?"

Azure Kite ignored Haseo and backed towards the door slowly. BlueRose watched him intently. Lifting both arms, he returned the chainswords to his inventory and reached his right arm down to his hip. In a flash of light he drew forth a large weapon resembling a miniature Gatling gun. He easily lifted the huge gun and pointed straight at Azure Kite.

"I'll repeat myself. Get away from the door, or I will kill you."

Azure Kite drew his Empty Skies and began to float barely above the ground.

BlueRose fired his gun, shooting hundreds of shots in Azure Kite's direction in only a split second. Azure Kite's arms moved ridiculously fast, his large blades blocking each shot. Haseo shot past Azure Kite and slammed his chainsword into BlueRose's side, temporarily stopping the gunfire. Azure Kite released a the balls of blue fire that flew towards both Adept Rogues.

Haseo jumped out of the way as the attacks connected with BlueRose. The balls burst into a large explosion of azure flames. BlueRose was completely consumed in the explosion. Haseo stood by Azure Kite, both with weapons drawn.

"Did that get him?" Haseo panted.

Azure Kite merely shook his head and stared into the blue flames as they slowly dissipated. Slowly a the unscathed figure of BlueRose.

"Damn..." Haseo scowled. "What is this guy?"

BlueRose advanced again. This time he drew a Wavemaster's staff from his back.

"VAK DO-" he began to shout.

A large blade hit the side of his head from behind, knocking him to the floor. Above him stood the tall figure of a female Heavyblade. Her dark skin and pink hair seemed to glow with a bright aura as she grinned down as BlueRose.

"BlackRose to the rescue!" she shouted.

ERROR 8

"Hey, have any of you seen a Wavemaster named ELK?"

The small group of players all turned around. The question had come from a tall Blademaster whose character strongly resembled a cat.

"Sorry, Mia, he hasn't been around here."

Her long ears drooped.

"He's online but he won't respond to my mail..." she groaned.

"If we see him we'll let you know."

"Thanks..." Mia muttered as she turned and walked off.


	5. Chapter 5

1Chapter 5

ERROR 9

"Hey guys, why didn't you tell me you were having a party??" BlackRose beamed at Haseo and Azure Kite. "I would have brought drinks or someth-"

The Heavyblade was suddenly thrown backwards into the air. Azure Kite caught her before she landed on the Door. After he set her down, she slowly stood up, fuming.

"Dammit that was rude!" she shouted at BlueRose as he stood and glared at the three of them.

His appearance had changed. He was taller now, his golden hair turned black. He slumped forward in a stance that looked almost sickly. His armor had turned blood red and out of it grew long spikes around his shoulders and hips. He again drew his Gatling gun, which also sported long red spikes growing in random spots along the length of the weapon.

Azure Kite appeared almost genuinely worried, though it was hard to tell from his usually emotionless face.

"If you're here, where is Kite?" he asked BlackRose.

"He said he had some kind of project for class he was working on and logged off," she whispered, watching BlueRose apprehensively. Her confidence had disappeared when BlueRose threw her. The corrupted appearance he now bore didn't help much.

"College sucks," Haseo sighed.

ERROR 10

Damn these humans. They just keep showing up.

That door must be destroyed before they find what lies beyond.

ERROR 11

"Ugh, I hate math." Kite leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. "I should be done with this by now..."

The air conditioning had broken earlier that day and the summer heat was making it impossible for him to focus on his homework.

"Maybe I should go get some ice cream and then do the rest," he reached into his pocket only to be reminded that he was completely broke. "Darn... Payday isn't until next week..."

He heard a door slam down the hall and the sound of quick footsteps becoming louder as they approached. The door to his dorm room burst open loudly. Ryou Misaki stood in the doorway, panting.

"What's up, Haseo?" Kite smiled cheerfully at his now aggravated visitor.

"Don't you ever check your damn e-mail?!" Ryou screamed.

"I'm trying to do my homework," Kite moaned.

"GET YOUR ASS ONLINE! BLACKROSE IS HURT!"


	6. Chapter 6

1Chapter 6

ERROR 12

BlueRose's appearance continued to mutate as he drained the data from BlackRose's PC. Haseo's character remained on away status. Azure Kite was trying to break through the barrier BlueRose had created around himself and BlackRose. No matter what method he tried, the barrier remained impenetrable.

Haseo's character suddenly came to life.

"He's trying to load right now!" he shouted to Azure Kite.

"We don't have time! Try using your avatar!"

Haseo closed his eyes and focused on his heartbeat. Each beat began to pulse outward from his character through the cathedral. BlueRose, distracted, looked up at Haseo as red lights began to gather around his body, forming shapes and symbols.

"_Warewa...Koko...Niru...SKEEEEIIIIIITH_!!!!"

Haseo's PC disappeared. To the eyes of BlueRose and Azure Kite, he had been replaced by a monster.

BlueRose stared at the being, petrified.

"You... you're... like me..."

In a split second the barrier shattered along with the windows of the cathedral as Skeith swung his huge scythe. Outside, Kite's character warped in and ran towards the building just as BlueRose was hurled through the broken doorway.

BlueRose landed hard. Stunned, he slowly looked up. He was overshadowed by Kite, who glared down at him.

"Why... do you have that???" Kite whispered, trembling with rage. BlueRose was holding BlackRose's sword.

"Heh," BlueRose smirked at Kite and then faded into thin air.

ERROR 13

The damage had been done. BlackRose's PC lay motionless on the floor.

"No..." Kite stared at BlackRose's body, his hands shaking. "Why did this happen?!"

"She tried to attack him from behind and... Everything was just a blur," Haseo mumbled. "What if she's-" Kite's character suddenly went on to away status.

Haseo glanced at Azure Kite uncomfortably.

"What should we do?"

"Wait for him to return with news," Azure Kite did not seem bothered by the situation. "For now the Door is most important."

He turned at looked at the shattered remains of the Door.

"At least it WOULD be were you not so damn careless," he glared at Haseo.

"Hey, I was trying to save this girl's damn life! This is way more important than your stupid Door!"

Kite returned to online status. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked up and smiled at the two.

"She's okay. She says her computer went to an error screen and now she can't log back on."

"I already knew that much," Azure Kite growled. "BlueRose isn't AIDA. He's just a parasite who steal's character data. Hurting someone outside of the game is beyond his power."

Haseo continued to glare at Azure Kite.

"Since you know so damn much about this thing we just fought, why don't you start explaining to us, huh?"

"Right after you fix my Door."


	7. Chapter 7

1Chapter 7

ERROR 14

"Umm... Excuse me?"

Mia turned around.

"Kite?" she examined the PC closely. "No, you're not him."

The character smiled.

"Hi, I'm k1t3," he beamed at her. "I'm new to The World, but I modeled by character to look like the famous hero."

"Oh, I see..." Mia wasn't interested in newbie fanboys.

"Could you please help me? I'm trying to find someone."

Mia sighed.

"Sure, I've got time. Who're you trying to find?"

"A Multi-Weapon named BlueRose," k1t3 grinned.

ERROR 15

"BlueRose," Azure Kite began, "is a mistake."

Haseo and Kite sat on the front pews of the cathedral while Azure Kite stood on the front pedestal, where Aura's statue was once chained.

"When we all defeated Morganna and Cubia, an anomaly happened. A file that had not existed before appeared in Net Slum."

"Morganna had a back-up file?" Kite mused.

"Helba and I would have detected a back-up file a long time ago. This "ghost" file simply created itself when Morganna was destroyed. Wanna guess what was inside?"

Haseo and Kite were silent.

"An AI named BlueRose. It appeared in the form of a young child. Helba found it and became interested in its potential. She taught it many things as it matured, treating it like her own child. It appeared mostly harmless. She even presented it to me and the Knights for scrutiny, but we couldn't find anything wrong with it. We decided to let her have her fun."

"What went wrong?" Haseo asked.

"A few weeks ago it finished maturing. When it died, a program in the file activated. He attacked and absorbed Helba's character data."

"Helbas... gone?" Kite stared at his stitched-up counterpart.

"Yes," Azure Kite sighed. "Aura noticed the disturbance and immediately began an investigation. We had trouble tracking his movements, and eventually lost him. But Aura discovered where the "ghost" file and come from."

"Where?"

Azure Kite pointed at the broken Door.

"Fragment."

ERROR 16

Stupid humans. I wish they would all just die.

ERROR 17

"Tsukasa, you're being unreasonable," Mimiru chided the depressed-looking Wavemaster in front of her.

"If she doesn't want to see me, I'll just stay here," Tsukasa mumbled.

The two stood in a small clearing surrounded by trees. In the middle of the clearing was a plain white bed upon which the Wavemaster sat. Various strange objects floated through the air around them.

"Tsukasa..." Mimiru sighed. "I guess first fights are tough..."

Tsukasa looked up.

"First fights?"

"W-well, when you're in this sort of relationship... umm..." Mimiru stammered, blushing.

"What would you know about it?" Tsukasa hung her head and stared at the torn stuffed bear on the ground.

"There you go again..." Mimiru was close to giving up.

"So this is where she was raised," a voice echoed behind Mimiru.

She spun around quickly, drawing her sword. A blood-red Multi-Weapon stood before her, his long black hair flowing around his face. His bright eyes darted around, scanning the area.

"Who are you?! How did you get here?!" Mimiru tensed. Something wasn't right about this person.

His eyes came to a stop, staring at Mimiru.

"You look like that other girl..." his voice, though quiet, rang out about the clearing.

A golden light shot past Mimiru's head from behind. The Multi-Weapon jumped quickly to the side, avoiding the attack as the light materialized into a long golden pole. The pole extended out from the body of a large golden monster that floated in the air above Tsukasa, who now stood in a defensive position.

"Mimiru, RUN! Get out of here!" she shouted.

"Oh, hello Father," BlueRose laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

1ERROR 18

"Tsukasa...What..." Mimiru stood transfixed between the Multi-Weapon and her friend.

"I'll explain later, just please go!" Tsukasa shouted as the monster above her launched another attack towards BlueRose. The attack shattered as BlueRose quickly drew and swung a large sword from his back.

Looking up, BlueRose noticed Mimiru.

"You look like the other one..." he grinned and lifted the sword, resting the blade upon his spiked shoulders. Mimiru looked at the sword, which seemed hauntingly similar to hers. Remembering Tsukasa, she ran to the side, exiting the battle range, and warped out of the field.

Tsukasa watched Mimiru as she disappeared and then turned her eyes on BlueRose.

"I knew I recognized that sword," he sighed. "You ate BlackRose, didn't you?"

"She was trying to keep me from reaching the Door," BlueRose shrugged.

"That doesn't give you the right to take her character!" Tsukasa growled at him. "Helba didn't teach you to behave like this!"

"Ah, yes. You and Mother always knew what was right and wrong," BlueRose smirked. "It's too bad you never really got to know me for what I was meant to be."

"And what do you think you were meant to be?" Tsukasa was having trouble concealing the rage in her voice.

BlueRose laughed and lifted the sword above his head. It flashed with a bright light and changed into his Gatling gun. Before Tsukasa could react, he pointed his gun at the monster and fired, shattering the monster's body in only a few shots. Tsukasa cursed to herself and drew her staff close to her body as she stepped back.

"I'm perfection," BlueRose's eyes glowed brightly as dropped the gun and drew two large chainswords from his back.

"There is no such thing as perfection," Tsukasa was cornered against the bed.

BlueRose merely continued to grin at his father and advanced, lifting his swords above his head.

ERROR 19

k1t3 pushed the doors of the cathedral open. It was empty. He and Mia entered and walked towards the pulpit at the front. k1t3 halted before the smashed remains of the Door.

"Huh... I wonder what this is, or was, at least," k1t3 leaned down and lifted one piece of the door. A small pulse ran from the piece up his arm.

"Oh... This is special," he smiled and placed the piece in his inventory.

"I guess he isn't here," Mia sighed. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"No," k1t3 looked up at her. "I just had a feeling he'd be in this place. I guess I was wrong."

The sunlight shined through the large windows at the front of the cathedral. The way the light landed on k1t3 caught Mia's attention. His character, other than it's similarity to Kite, seemed familiar to her.

"Well, since he isn't here," k1t3 said, beaming at Mia, "do you know where I could find some Aromatic Grass?"

ERROR 20

"With Helba gone I've been put in charge of managing Net Slum."

Azure Kite, Kite, and Haseo walked through the rubble and garbage that made up one of The World's largest hidden zones. Net Slum was a popular area for hackers and was also Helba's main base of operations.

"Most of the job just involves keeping unauthorized hackers from getting in and messing around with stuff," Azure Kite continued.

"The place already looks messed up," Haseo grimaced as he took in his bleak surroundings.

Azure Kite ignored Haseo and pointed out a spot ahead.

"That is where BlueRose was born."

The spot was immediately noticeable. It was like an spherical space had just been disintegrated. The spherical area had created a small crater in the ground as well as taking out a small portion of one of the large skyscrapers that were sparsely located throughout Net Slum.

Azure Kite continued moving past the spot and entered the building. Kite and Haseo rushed to catch up with him as he moved up a flight of stairs. Eventually, they reached the top floor of the building. The floor was completely empty. The walls were windows that looked out over all of Net Slum. The floor and ceiling were simply flat, gray surfaces.

Azure Kite raised his hand and closed his eyes.

In the middle of the floor and blue flame appeared and slowly formed into the shape of a door.

"This is our destination," Azure Kite said, opening his eyes.

He moved forward quickly and passed through the door. Haseo and Kite glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed him. The building disappeared and in its place was a blank white space that seemed to stretch out into eternity.

Azure Kite stood a few feet away from Haseo and Kite. He slowly kneeled down on one knee and bowed his head. A pulse ran through the floor as the sound of bells echoed all around them. Slowly, a figure formed out of thin air before them. Her long, white hair flowed around her. She floated a few feet above the ground and looked down at her Knight, smiling.

"I see that you failed to protect my door," Aura laughed as Azure Kite grunted and looked up angrily at Haseo.


	9. Chapter 9

1ERROR 21

"I think I have a right to know," Tsukasa's voice was barely above a whisper. She sat completely still on the bed, her male character's small and frail-looking appearance contrasting against the large and corrupted form of BlueRose, who sat next her.

"Hm... It's complex," BlueRose mused to himself, his mocking demeanor now one of total seriousness. "When that thing inside me activated, I lost all my memory of you and Mother. I found myself before Helba with no knowledge of who she was, or even my own identity. Out of fear of her, I drained her character. After that, I remember waking up in darkness with still no recollection. I felt... safe."

Tsukasa looked up at him. Her face bore a look almost of pity.

"That didn't last long," BlueRose continued, ignoring Tsukasa's reaction. "I was... moved to Mac Anu. There I wandered among the humans there. Until I bumped into Elk."

Tsukasa shuddered when she heard the name.

"You didn't-"

"When I saw him, and his similarity to you, my memory suddenly awoke. I remembered everything. But I also remembered something that hadn't been there before. I remembered a purpose. So I drained his character to raise my level, and then I went out in search of the Door."

Tsukasa was visibly shaken now.

"How many people have you drained?" she asked.

"Helba, Elk, and BlackRose," BlueRose counted them out on his fingers.

"And what are you going to do to me now? What is your purpose now that the Door is gone?" Tsukasa stared at BlueRose.

BlueRose reached down and lifted the tattered bear that lay on the ground at the edge of the bed. Examining the area where the stuffing had been torn out, he spoke.

"I'm unsure. I'm grateful for what you and Mother did, and I regret what happened to Mother, but I am sure of what will happen. As long as Aura exists, the Door can be remade. I cannot allow that. Thus, my new purpose, I guess, is to rid The World of Aura."

"And I cannot let you do that, because Aura is my daughter as much as she is Harald's and Emma's," Tsukasa sighed. "The World needs Aura."

"Well, that's that," BlueRose stood and tossed the bear to Tsukasa. "Anything goes. Next time we meet, expect no mercy from me."

BlueRose warped out of the field, leaving Tsukasa to think alone. She sighed and placed the bear upon bed before warping out.

ERROR 22

Mia looked around the field over and over again.

k1t3 watched her curiously while he picked Aromatic Grass and put it in his inventory.

"What are you looking for?" he finally broke the silence. Mia snapped out of her daze and stared at him.

"What?" she asked.

"You keep looking around like you're expecting someone," k1t3 smiled innocently at her.

"Oh..." her long ears drooped. "I guess it's just hopeful thinking..."

k1t3 cocked his head to the side questioningly. Mia sighed and decided to tell him of her current troubles.

"A friend of mine hasn't contacted me lately, and I can't seem to contact him even though the system states that he is online. He also likes to collect Aromatic Grass, so I had hoped he'd come here."

k1t3 giggled playfully.

"That IS wishful thinking," he laughed. "This is far from the only place in the game that has Aromatic Grass."

"Well... Yeah..." Mia murmured. "But this is our favorite spot..."

"'Our'?" k1t3 cocked his head again. "Sounds like you guys are more than just friends."

"Huh..." Mia seemed lost in thought. "Maybe."

k1t3 suddenly laughed loudly. He stood up and walked over to Mia, handing her some of the grass he had picked.

"Tell you what," he smiled. "If you help me find BlueRose, I'll help you find your boyfriend."

"How?" Mia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the strange newbie.

"That's a secret, for now," k1t3 winked at Mia and walked back over to the Aromatic Grass field to resume his labors.


	10. Chapter 10

1ERROR 23

"So what's the deal with this project?" Ryou sat on the floor a few feet from Kite and watched him furiously typing. "I'm guessing it's math, huh?"

Kite didn't respond. Sighing, he ceased his loud banging on the keyboard and reached for a bag of chips he was sure he had left next to his mouse. Noticing the space was now vacant, he looked over at Ryou, who appeared to be frozen in time, open bag in one hand and the other holding a chip inches from his open mouth.

"Who said you could take those?" Kite stared angrily at Ryou.

"Your mom did," He responded, deliberately placing the chip in his mouth and crunching on it loudly.

"Jerk," Kite got up out of his chair and snatched the bag from Ryou.

Returning to his seated position, Kite took a few chips from the bag, ate them quickly, and resumed his work. The two sat in silence. Ryou stared at the bag of chips, contemplating whether or not he should attempt to take it back.

"By the way, where is Akira-san now?" Ryou asked.

Kite continued typing loudly.

"Hey I'm sorry about the chips. Don't ignore me," Ryou stood up and walked over to the door. Looking back at Kite, he waited for a few seconds. When Kite still refused to respond, he sighed and reached for the handle. The door burst open violently and hit him. Ryou fell back on the ground, covering his injured face.

"Oh… Sorry, Haseo," Akira Hayame leaned over, looked down at her victim.

Kite leaned back in his chair and looked irritably at the visitor.

"Why can't anyone just knock? If that door breaks they'll make me pay for it."

"Sorry, sorry," Akira bowed slightly and then stepped over Ryou's prone body.

"What is it, BlackRose?" Kite resumed working on his project.

"Any breakthroughs with this case?" she examined the monitor screen over Kite's shoulder.

"I'll deal with it as soon as I can," Kite responded, still typing loudly. "This project is important."

"I think my problem is pretty important, too!" Akira fumed.

"Maybe I can help?" Ryou volunteered.

"Since when have you ever been any help?" Akira glared at Ryou and then turned back to face Kite, who was too absorbed into his work to listen to either of them. Akira remained silent for a few moments, and then punched Kite in the shoulder. Kite ignored the assault as best he could and continued typing. Akira continued her attack, blow after blow increasing in force. Wincing from the pain, Kite finally turned in his chair towards her.

"FINE! I'll help! Just let me get to a stopping point so I can save this, okay?!"

Just as he spoke, the power went out in the dorm. Kite's face paled, and he slowly turned back toward's his computer, the screen of which was now completely black. Akira, backed slowly toward's the door, hoping the escape before Kite exploded. Ryou began laughing hysterically, now clutching his stomach as he rolled back on forth on the floor.

Kite slowly stood, picked up his computer monitor, and threw it out the window.

ERROR 24

Azure Kite sat alone silently in the cathedral. The light shining through the large windows at the front illuminated the marble floor, which gave a surrealistic reflection of the entire inside of the building. Aura was in the process of reconstructing the Door in her realm, where it would be safe from BlueRose. The doors to the cathedral itself had already been repaired by the System Administrators, as well as the windows and pews.

Leaning back, Azure Kite toyed around with some of the data in the cathedral, slowly piecing together a figure on top of the pedestal in front of him. Eventually the form was completed. A stature of Aura stood there, her eyes looking towards the entrance. Chains stretched out from both sides of the cathedral and wrapped around her, preventing any escape. Azure Kite shook his head and snapped his fingers. The statue shattered, it's pieces fading out of existence.

The doors to the cathedral slowly creaked open and footsteps grew louder as the intruder approached. Azure Kite did not even turn around, but simply waited in silence.

"I've often wondered exactly what you are," BlueRose spoke, his voice, though quiet, echoing throughout the cathedral.

"Many have wondered the same thing," Azure Kite sighed. "Would you like me to tell you the logical explanation or the truth?"

BlueRose grinned.

"I'm partial to the truth," he laughed.

"I'm the scariest thing you will ever see."

Azure Kite stood and turned, facing his enemy. In a second, he was gone.

"Wha-" BlueRose stepped back, shocked. He had always been able to detect the location of players through their character data, but he couldn't track Azure Kite's movements. He began to turn, but halted. Slowly lowering his gaze, he saw the three black blades that pierced through his body. Loud, raspy breathing came from behind him. He turned his head and shivered as he saw Azure Kite's face directly behind him, his green emotionless eyes opened wide. Lifting his right hand, Azure Kite grabbed BlueRose's head. His arm began to glow as red shapes formed of light began to gather around his wrist.

"Good-bye, parasite."


	11. Chapter 11

1ERROR 25

"There is nowhere to run this time."

It was true. As long as Empty Skies anchored BlueRose, he couldn't separate himself from Azure Kite.

"Do you know what happens when AI programs like you get drained?" Azure Kite whispered maliciously as he prepared to activate Data Drain.

"I'd rather not find out," BlueRose smiled and grabbed his enemy's wrist. "A change of scenery is in order, don't you think?"

Suddenly they were in Mac Anu. Only a few players had noticed their sudden appearance, and were whispering amongst themselves. BlueRose, still gripping Azure Kite's wrist, forced the arm away from himself and directed the attack towards the small group.

"Be careful," BlueRose grinned. "Shoot that off in a place like this and someone is likely to get hurt."

"You bastard," Azure Kite powered down his attack and stepped away from BlueRose, his blades disintegrating. "You're a lot stronger than just your level, aren't you?"

"Well, this was fun," BlueRose winked at Azure Kite, ignoring his question. "Let's do it again some time."

"You're not going anywhere."

BlueRose turned. Near the Chaos Gate, two players had just warped in and were approaching him quickly. One appeared to be a modded character similar to a huge cat with a humanoid body shape. She was rushing to catch up with the other, who had spoken. He looked similar to the character whom BlueRose had encountered outside of the cathedral, but bore an appearance that seemed familiar outside of that.

"I finally found you," k1t3 said.

"So this is the guy?" Mia finally caught up with her companion.

k1t3 did not respond, but stared angrily at BlueRose. Holding out his hand, he spoke coldly.

"I would like my character back."

ERROR 26

"It's a miracle this thing landed in a bush," Ryou breathed heavily and he placed Kite's computer monitor back on his desk. "I know you're mad, but you should take better care of your stuff."

Kite shoved Ryou out of the way and hooked the monitor back up before turning on the computer. The power had come back on a few minutes ago.

"I talked to the dorm manager, and she said some maintenance worker had accidently cut the power," Ryou sat down on Kite's bed and reached into the bag of chips he had regained from the desk when Kite wasn't looking.

"Did she happen to tell you his name?" Kite responded irritably as the computer loaded up.

"Ha ha," Ryou looked nervously at Kite, not sure if he was serious or not.

Akira had left earlier to do some shopping, though Ryou was sure she was making excuses to get away from Kite while he was angry. Kite finished rebooting his computer and waited silently staring at the screen. After a few seconds of silence, a small window popped up. Kite breathed a deep sigh of relief and smiled at Ryou, pointing at the window. Ryou walked over to the computer and read the screen.

BACK-UP FILE SAVED.

"Ha! Lucky you," Ryou grinned and stuffed a few chips in his mouth.

Kite was too relieved to care about his chips being stolen a second time. Opening up the file, he began typing again.

"Looks like it's all here," Kite smiled as he worked.

ERROR 27

"That explains why I recognized you," BlueRose sighed and took a step towards k1t3. "You're that Wavemaster I drained earlier. I'm surprised you actually came back."

"I want that character data back," k1t3 glared at the corrupted AI.

"Sorry, I can't help you with that," BlueRose shrugged. "I can only drain. Can't put it back once it's gone."

k1t3 tensed. He slowly lifted one hand and grabbed his hat, which strongly resembled Kite's.

"I guess I'll just have to drain it back out of you then," his tone remained cold.

He suddenly ripped the hat from his head, and a bright light formed around his body. Most of the players in Mac Anu could see nothing through the light, but BlueRose and Azure Kite saw everything through different eyes. In the center of the light, the body of k1t3 was changing. He was taller now, his body clothed in purple fabric. His hair was long and blue. On top of his head he now wore a different hat wreathed with roses.

"My name is Endrance, for endurance!" he shouted. "No matter what you do to my character data, my true form shall endure!"

With that, his Avatar appeared.

His Avatar was a large blue cat-creature that looked similar to Mia, only it wore a large dress that appeared to be a rose.

"MACHA!!!! CRUSH THIS LOSER!!!" Endrance prepared to attack.


	12. Chapter 12

1Note: I'm very sorry for the massive gap in time since my last update. I did the first error of the chapter some time ago and then went into an inaction slump-ish thing. I don't know. Anyway I finally finished it up and made it a little longer than previous chapters to make up for my failure. Many apologies! *bow*

ERROR 28

"I don't have time for this," BlueRose groaned as Mac Anu disappeared.

He now stood on nothing, and the area around him had become a large extended blue grid. He could not warp out or disappear as long as he was in the Avatar Combat Grid. Macha, staring down at him, slowly unfurled its long arms and shot forward with incredible speed. It swung its sharp claws at BlueRose repetitively, who struggled to avoid each attack. A normal character could not easily damage him, but he was unsure as to how he would handle direct damage from a Morganna Factor.

"Stay still, insect!" Endrance screamed as he continued to attack furiously.

"Sorry, but that would involve me getting hurt," BlueRose grinned and drew his Gatling gun, but was unable to take aim while dodging Macha's claws.

Azure Kite didn't take long to join in the fray. Changing into his Azure Flame God form, he entered the ACG and joined Macha in attacking the corrupted AI. BlueRose, cursing to himself, drew BlackRose's sword with his left hand and used it to block Azure Kite's attacks as he avoided Macha's.

Mia stood some distance away, watching the battle. She, unlike the other players in Mac Anu, had been able to follow her companion into the ACG. She could also see the two Avatars' character forms inside the larger monster body. She watched Endrance intently, and then glanced down at her clenched fist. In it she held a single stem of Aromatic Grass.

"Elk…" she muttered and looked back up at Endrance. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She had immediately recognized her infected phase as Endrance's Avatar.

"I should have known," she sighed. "Only Elk would spend two hours picking Aromatic Grass."

ERROR 29

"DONE!" Kite leaned back in his chair so suddenly that it tipped over and landed on the floor. Ryou tried not to laugh as Kite irritably stood up and kicked the chair.

"Finally," Kite sighed and walked around his dorm room in circles. Ryou watched silently as Kite walked off the stress of his twelve-hour workload.

"OKAY!" Kite hopped back into his chair and quickly opened his e-mail. Scanning through the spam, he singled out an unread e-mail and opened it.

"It's from CC Corp.," he mused.

CONGRATULATIONS!

PLAYER Kite, YOU HAVE WON _THE WORLD_'S ANNUAL RANDOM SELECTION CONTEST! YOU WILL BE AWARDED A RARE AND VALUABLE ITEM THAT WILL PLEASANTLY ENHANCE YOUR GAMING EXPERIENCE! PLEASE SPEAK TO ANY MERCHANT IN THE GAME TO RECEIVE YOUR PRIZE! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF CC CORPORATION BY PLAYING THE WORLD!

DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS MESSAGE. IF YOU FEEL THAT FOR ANY REASON YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE RECEIVED THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE CONTACT CC CORPORATION TO INFORM US OF OUR MISTAKE.

"What?" Kite stared in disbelief at the message. "No way..."

This was too fishy. The last time Kite had won any contest from CC Corp., it had been a attempt by Lios to take away his Data Drain power.

"Might as well check it out," Kite sighed and turned to Ryou. "You should go check your mail to see if there have been any updates.

"Got it," Ryou got serious quickly and left to check his computer.

Kite logged in and warped into Mac Anu. He knew he couldn't remain in the town long or fans would start crowding around him, so he ran quickly to the Save Merchant.

"Congratulations!" the Merchant spoke in voice chat, impossible for most NPCs. Kite immediately recognized the voice.

"I knew it was you, Lios. What do you want?" Kite still didn't like Lios very much, and didn't feel like wasting time with him.

"Here's your prize!" Lios ignored Kite's rude response and transferred the item to his inventory.

"Hey- what the-" Kite exclaimed as he checked his inventory. "Lath Blades?! Are you kidding me?! These are Noob weapons!"

"I had to give you something or I'd be a liar," Lios replied.

"Nothing you do at this point will change the fact that you are a massive liar," Kite grimaced and deleted the blades.

"Watch yourself," Lios growled. "I called you here because we need to talk."

With that a loud screech ripped through the air and Mac Anu disappeared. The two now stood alone in a familiar blank space. Some distance off there was a large bed covered in and surrounded by numerous stuffed bears.

"There. Now you can't go anywhere," Lios chuckled.

"Watch me," Kite tried to gate out but could not. "Ugh. Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"We should talk about BlueRose," Lios lifted right hand. It glowed brightly as two chairs and a table formed before him. He sat and stared and Kite expectantly. Kite sighed.

"I guess this will take a while," he groaned and sat.

ERROR 30

BlueRose continued to run frantically across the ACG while avoiding and repelling the attacks of the two monstrous players. He was extremely skilled, but was beginning to get sloppy. He had already received a few minor blows from both attackers, and was unsure how much longer he could last against their onslaught.

"Can't we just call it a day?" he whined as he ducked under one of Macha's attacks. As he rolled and tried to regain his footing, suddenly Azure Flame God Kite grabbed his and lifted him high into the air. There he held BlueRose for a moment, and then slammed him back into the ground with incredible force. BlueRose's defense broke, and he became vulnerable to Data Drain.

Macha flipped onto his back and his rose dressed opened into a large eye as his Avatar's Data Drain attack loaded up.

"I will be taking back my character data now," Endrance laughed menacingly as the eye glowed with red light. Power surged through his body as he prepared to launch his destructive attack.

"NO! STOP!" BlueRose could not move. Azure Flame God Kite held him pinned down.

Time slowed as Macha's attack reached it's full charge. BlueRose struggled violently in Azure Flame God Kite's grip. Realizing he could not escape, he became still. His character began to pulse quickly. Light emanated from his character as he began to change form. He reverted to his first appearance, becoming slightly smaller. From the newly loosened grip he freed his arms and grabbed Azure Flame God Kite's wrist. Concentrating strongly, he began feeding on the Avatar's data.

Azure Flame God Kite quickly flung his arm forward to free himself from the parasite. Macha changed his direction and targeted the body of BlueRose as it moved through the air. BlueRose drew his Gatling gun and aimed directly into the eye of the Data Drain and fired. The attack shattered and Macha was defeated.

Kicked from the ACG, Endrance landed hard on the Bridge in Mac Anu. Mia exited the ACG and rushed to him. Sitting up, Endrance put his face in his hands and cried out with rage.

"DAMN IT!!! I'VE FAILED!!" he breathed loudly as his body shook. Mia tried to comfort him to no avail.

Back inside the ACG, Azure Kite had returned to his normal form and stood before BlueRose.

"You know, it doesn't really matter what you do," Azure Kite sighed.

"What does that mean?" BlueRose had returned to his smug demeanor.

"You're deteriorating. You've failed to destroy Aura because you're too weak. If we manage to get into Fragment with Aura's Door, you'll die anyway."

BlueRose stared silently at Azure Kite. The air seemed to grow cold as the two stared each other down. Suddenly BlueRose exploded with laughter and actually doubled over onto the ground. When he finally recovered, he looked up at Azure Kite with his familiar sadistic grin.

"You're such an idiot. You don't know anything. Go through the door if you like. I've already done my job," BlueRose stood silently and exited the ACG. Once he had returned to Mac Anu, he glanced at the shaking form of Endrance, grinned, and faded out of the Root Town.


	13. Chapter 13

1ERROR 31

"Glad you could all make it," Lios' voice echoed throughout the empty, white space.

Kite stood next to him, and they both faced a small group of characters. Mia stood near the front supporting Endrance, who stared blankly at the ground. Haseo and Azure Kite stood near them. A few feet away, Tsukasa and Mimiru stood together, Tsukasa's expression not much different from that of Endrance. Mimiru glanced between Tsukasa and Lios nervously.

"I'm sure you know why we called you together," Kite spoke. "We've been trying to use a Door created by Aura to access the lost data of FRAGMENT, but so far have had no success due to the meddling of a rogue NPC who calls himself BlueRose. Until we are rid of him, we cannot safely use the Door. Aura has confirmed that once inside FRAGMENT, we cannot log out until we have come back through the Door. If the Door is destroyed while we are in FRAGMENT, anything could happen."

Tsukasa coughed and raised her hand.

"Yes?" Kite looked over at the Wavemaster.

"Um... I have some experience in not being able to log out. Maybe you should send me in first to make sure it's safe?"

"That's not the problem," Kite sighed. "If the door is destroyed, you could lose your character or even go into a coma again."

"As I said before," Lios cut in, "this means the current objective is to destroy the threat: BlueRose."

"He can't be destroyed," Endrance spoke for the first time in hours. Mia, stared silently at the limp form of her friend.

Haseo also glanced at Endrance.

"Don't I know you?" he asked.

"No," Endrance replied curtly and returned to his silent state.

"Well, I see no reason to listen to you then," Haseo growled irritably. "I could have killed him easily back at the Cathedral but the little punk ran off before I could force him into the ACG."

"As far as we know, the ACG and my Empty Skies are the only ways to keep him from running away," Azure Kite mused.

"I've got another way," Lios joined in again. "CC Corp has developed a field that you cannot leave."

"Like this area back when you trapped me and BlackRose?" Kite asked.

"No. The field literally exists outside of The World. Thus, you cannot get back to The World once you are in it."

"How do we get him there?" Haseo asked.

"I'm still working on that," Lios replied. "But I think it's possible with the use of your Avatars."

ERROR 32

A few hours later, Kite stood on the bridge in Mac Anu, waiting. A few moments passed in which players hurried back and forth past Kite on the bridge. A few chattered excitedly amongst themselves when they recognized Kite's character. Eventually, one player waded through the crowd toward's Kite. His white hair glistened under the twilight sun of the root town. The beautiful wings on his back reflected a similar light, and his silver armor shined brightly.

"What's up?" Balmung of the Azure Sky halted next to Kite.

Kite was silent. Balmung stared patiently at the character. Suddenly Kite turned towards the knight.

"Sorry!" he shouted. "I had to take the trash out."

"It's okay," Balmung smiled. He was amused by the occasional moments in which he was reminded that there was a world outside of this game. "What did you call me here for?"

"Well, as you know, we're trying to get into FRAGMENT now. I'm still not sure if it's such a safe idea though, even if BlueRose is destroyed. I wanted to ask you how much you remember about FRAGMENT."

Balmung sighed and shook his head.

"Other than a few glitches and bugs, I just remember FRAGMENT as being a downgraded version of the game we're playing now."

Kite turned back toward's the rail and looked over into the river that ran below.

"But," Balmung continued, "I know someone who might be able to tell you more.

Kite looked back up.

"Who?" he asked.

"He used to be an Admin. Sort of. He was captain of the Cobalt Knights."

"The what?" Kite tilted his head.

"Nevermind," Balmung shook his head again. "Anyway, his name is Albireo. He's extremely strong, and has been playing since FRAGMENT was released."

"Wow," Kite listened excitedly.

"Yeah, Orca and I even asked him to party with us to help us beat The One Sin event."

"He refused?"

"Yeah. He prefers to play solo, but I'm sure he'd be willing to talk to you about FRAGMENT. He respects high level players."

"Okay, well I'm counting on you then," Kite patted Balmung on the shoulder and walked toward's the Chaos Gate before logging out.


End file.
